Big Brother or Special Agent
by A Thing For Brothers
Summary: Sequel to Big Brother Instincts. Russ Cartman returns to fulfill his threat. Will he succeed, or will Don and his team stop him in time?
1. Fear

**Hi, guys. This is the sequel to Big Brother Instincts. It's best if you read BBI first, but you can read it alone. Since most reviewers wanted more, I decided that I could extend this storyline to this. I wanted to experiment with this idea anyway, so it worked out well. I hope you enjoy this. Just so you know, I don't know own Numb3rs, or anything Numb3rs related. I just write fanfic stories about it.**

**Enjoy!**

Charlie felt better after he talked to his brother. It was the first time he had told anyone about Russ Cartman, the man who had abused his friend Jessica, and had threatened to kill him. For years, Charlie had kept an eye out for Russ, even when he was at Princeton. He couldn't take the chance. He had to be on his guard. But after a few years, Charlie finally calmed. He hadn't expected to see the man again, hadn't expected him to recognize him over 17 years later. But Russ Cartman had known who he was. He had asked him about his threat. He remembered, too.

Charlie shivered at the thought as he graded papers in his office. He had lost time the other day when he didn't come back in after seeing Russ Cartman. Now he was paying for it. Papers piled up on his desk in scattered mounds. There was no order to the mess. Charlie was looking forward to getting it out of the way.

After a long day of catching up on grading papers and aiding students, Charlie was ready to go home. It was almost six o'clock; his last class ended by 4:30. The sun was beginning to set as Charlie walked outside to the parking lot. Few cars were left, mostly just faculty and students who had late classes.

Charlie was fishing around in his coat pocket for his keys when he heard footsteps behind him. Feeling the hairs raise on his neck, Charlie looked behind him quickly, but didn't see anyone. Shaking his head, he tried to tell himself he was imagining things.

"Charlie Eppes. We have to stop meeting like this," Russ Cartman's voice called from behind him. Charlie stopped in his tracks, keys still in his hands.

"I wouldn't try anything, since there's a gun pointed at your back."

Charlie dropped his keys back in his pockets as he turned around. With both hands still in his pockets, he blindly used the speed dial on his cell and turned on the speaker phone. Hoping that he hit the right buttons, he took his hands out, and held them up in front of him.

"I don't want any trouble, Mr. Cartman."

Russ smiled. "And I don't expect to have any."

Aiming the gun at Charlie's head, Russ stepped closer. "Don't worry. This will be quick."

Charlie shook as he stood in front of Russ. "Where's Jessica?"

"I haven't seen her in ten years. Good riddance. The girl was a disappointment to me all her life."

Charlie shook again, but anger was the key reason this time. "She was a wonderful person. You broke her."

"She was just like her mother. You know my wife left when Jessica was four. I never wanted a daughter in the first place."

"Why did she leave?"

Russ smiled, a smile so sinister it scared Charlie. "Same reason Jessica got away."

"What? Rape?"

Before Charlie could react, Russ shot Charlie in the lower right calf. Crying out, Charlie fell to the ground.

"If I were you, I'd think before speaking more. After all, I'm the one with the gun, remember? And you're the insignificant weakling... and the one who is about to die."

-----------------------------------------------------

Don was sitting at his desk, filling out some paper work when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out, he answered gruffly, "Eppes."

In return, all he got was silence. He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the caller ID, and saw that it was his brother's cell phone.

"Buddy?"

Getting worried, Don listened closely. He could barely make out muffled voices, and then he heard the terrifying sound of a gun shot.

Unsure of what was going on, he started a trace of the caller's location, the location of his possibly shot or dead brother. Making an educated guess, Don assumed Charlie had called him when he knew there was trouble.

Heart racing, Don waited impatiently for Charlie's location to appear on the computer in front of him. When he saw Colby walking by, he grabbed the agent.

"Colby! I need your cell phone."

"Okay. Here. What's going on?" Colby willingly gave up his cell phone, but was unsure as to why.

"I just need to borrow it. Stay here until the location comes up. Please, call me on your cell when it does. I'll be in my car."

"You got it."

Before Colby got the full sentence out, Don was taking off at a run to his car. Assuming his brother was still at CalSci, he headed in that direction until he had a confirmation from Colby.

Don had barely left the parking garage when Colby's cell phone rang.

"Talk to me," Don answered.

"Don, it's at CalSci. What's going on?"

"It's Charlie. I have to go."

"Don-"

Don hung up and turned on his siren. Driving as fast as he could, he drove the distance to CalSci. It took him less than ten minutes, and he searched the parking lot for his brother's car, or even his brother. Something shone off his headlights, and he saw the familiar shape of a gun.

Quickly, Don got out of the car, holding his own gun out in front of him. Cautiously, he came closer. Still unseen to the gunman, Don ducked behind cars, as he assessed the situation. Looking around the edge of a car, Don caught sight of his brother, lying on the ground, holding his leg.

"Get up!" Russ barked at Charlie. Charlie was barely to his knees when Don came out, gun pointed at Russ.

"FBI! Drop your weapon!" Don shouted as he came closer, hoping to put distance between Charlie and Russ. Then the unthinkable happened. Russ grabbed the barely standing Charlie and pointed a gun at his head.

"No, agent. You drop your weapon."

Don fought to keep the horror out of his eyes. For a brief moment, he looked from Charlie to Russ, then focused on Russ.

"That's not going to happen, Russ."

"Oh, right. You're big brother, aren't you?" Russ laughed.

Don kept the emotion out of his face, even though inside he was steaming. His heart beat faster than normal, and his stomach churned. But he had to force the agent in him to take care of the situation.

"So, what's it going to be, agent? You going to drop your weapon, or am I going to shoot your brother?"

"You're going to drop your weapon, and we're all going to walk away alive."

Charlie's breath became shaky as the gun was pressed tightly against his temple. A small whimper escaped his lips, and Charlie could feel Russ smile.

"You like watching your brother sweat?" Russ asked as he turned his attention to Don.

"Russ, let's just end this peacefully. No one has to get hurt. You don't want to put murder on your list of crimes, too, do you?"

"Actually, I don't really care. I told your brother if I ever saw him again I'd kill him. I can't be a liar, now can I?"

"You don't have to do that, Russ."

"Oh, but I do." Russ smiled at Don, and, in turn, Don glared at Russ.

As silent moments passed, Charlie grew more and more uncomfortable. His heart was pounding out of his chest and tears were forming in his eyes as the barrel of the gun pierced into his temple. Looking to his brother, Charlie hoped to find his hero.

"Don, just shoot him."

"Charlie, shut up!"

"Don, please-"

"Buddy." Don's eyes shut for a brief moment. "Just stop."

Charlie stopped talking and, surprised, watched his brother carefully.

"I... I can't do this with you talking to me. I can't do this when I look at you."

Don's eyes glazed with tears as he looked at his brother. Charlie's heart broke and Russ laughed.

"Isn't this sweet? I'm not one for wasting time, so why don't we get this over with?"

"That's not going to happen, Mr. Cartman," Megan's voice called loudly. She came from behind Don, and Russ looked around him. Colby was coming up behind Russ, and David was coming from Russ' left. All were armed, pointing their guns at Russ.

"And why is that?"

"Because you have four guns pointed at you. Dying was not in your plan today."

"Yeah, but killing him was."

Charlie cried out as the gun shoved deeper into his head.

"We're not about to let that happen. You have an FBI consultant at gunpoint. We're not going to let you shoot him and just walk away. You're stuck, Mr. Cartman. Just let Charlie go. Nobody else has to get hurt today." Megan kept the gun pointed at Russ as she tried to talk him out of harming Charlie.

"Just put the gun down."

"Why should I? I'm just going to go to jail anyway!" Russ shouted loudly, angrily, as he tightened his hold around Charlie's neck.

Charlie's eyes got a little larger as he looked desperately at Don. Don tried to avoid his brother's gaze, but had to look at him. When he did, he wanted to just shoot Russ then and there. But he wasn't going to do that.

"Yes, you will go to jail, but you don't have to die today, Russ. Just put the gun down, and step away from Charlie."

Russ took a moment to look at each of the agents. Weighing his options, he kept the gun pointed to Charlie's head as he looked between the agents. He really didn't want to die today, but going to jail didn't seem much better. He wanted to just shoot Charlie and get it over with. He had never planned this, just like the agent said. He had spent his life breaking laws, and hadn't been caught until now. And there seemed to be no way to get out of this situation.

"All right. All right." Russ let go of Charlie and slowly dropped his weapon so that it was pointed down at the ground. Don cautiously went toward his brother while David went to Russ to place him under arrest.

With the gun pointing down, Russ stopped. In a split second he changed his mind.

"Gun!" Megan called, pointing the gun back at Russ.

Russ raised the gun again, and fired.

**AH! CLIFF HANGER! I'll update ASAP, okay? Happy new year, everyone!**


	2. Fault

Russ aimed the gun at himself and fired. He fell to the ground heavily and David ran up to him. Quickly, David took Russ' gun. Don, shocked, looked between Charlie and Russ. Seeing that Russ was the one hurt, Don ran to the man.

"No! You do not get to die! You don't get off that easy." Don ripped off his coat and pressed it to the man's chest. He found the pulse he wanted and kept applying pressure.

Russ laughed weakly.

Don gritted his teeth as he angrily applied pressure to Russ' wound. Pressing harder than needed, Don caused Russ pain with his pressure.

Charlie had fallen to the ground the same time Russ did. When he saw Russ raise his gun again and when he heard the shot, Charlie's heart had stopped beating. Fear coursed through his veins at the image. Now that Russ was laying on the ground, Charlie wanted to get as far away from the man as he could. Too panicked to stand up, he backed away from the man, still on the ground. He backed into Colby's legs. The agent knelt down beside Charlie, gripping his shoulders supportively.

"Charlie, are you okay?" Colby asked when he moved in front of Charlie.

Charlie's eyes were focused on Russ and Don. Since he wasn't getting a response, Colby assessed Charlie's body for injuries. It soon became obvious that he'd been shot in the leg and Colby used his jacket as a bandage.

Megan stood over Russ, watching Don clot the bleeding.

"Did someone call an ambulance?" Don barked angrily.

"I did, Don. I had already called one in for Charlie," Megan responded.

Don froze. "Charlie?"

Don stopped helping Russ as he pushed away from the man. Seeing his brother's frightened form beside Colby, Don stood and hurried over to his little brother. David took over helping Russ.

When Colby saw Don coming, he stepped away.

"Don's coming, Charlie," Colby whispered before he left.

Charlie looked up gratefully at his older brother. Don's worried gaze focused on his brother.

"Buddy, are you okay?" Don asked hurriedly as he sank to his knees in front of Charlie.

"I'm... I'm okay."

Don nodded. "That's good."

Don looked over Charlie a moment, and then the fear started again.

"We gotta keep pressure on that." Don forced Colby's jacket tighter against Charlie's leg, making his brother cry out in pain.

"I'm sorry!" Don said immediately. Scared, Charlie backed away from his brother.

"Buddy, I'm so sorry. I just... you got shot. I can't... I don't... I won't let you die, okay?"

Don's tear-glazed eyes were enough to convince Charlie of his brother's sincerity and his obvious fear. Charlie allowed Don to come closer and apply pressure back onto his leg. Weakening, Charlie laid back against the hard pavement. Don held onto Colby's jacket with one hand and with the other, he gripped his brother's forearm supportively.

Colby stood awkwardly between Charlie and Don and Megan, David and Russ. Seeing Charlie laying limply against the pavement with no cushion under his head, Colby decided to go back to Charlie.

"Here you go, Whiz Kid." Colby lifted Charlie's upper body and let Charlie lean against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Colby," Charlie said quietly.

Don and Colby's eyes met, and Don nodded, giving Colby his silent thanks. Colby smiled and nodded in return. He put an arm around Charlie's shoulders to hold him in place while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Charlie closed his eyes as he tried to forget about the pain. He reached his hand out for his brother, and Don took it in his.

When the ambulances arrived, Don left with Charlie, while David went with Cartman. Charlie's wound wasn't serious, but he would need stitches and bandages. Also, he started showing signs of shock, so the EMTs wanted to be safe by taking him to the hospital.

At the hospital, Charlie rested fitfully on the bed. His leg had been stitched and bandaged, and he'd been given pain medication. The doctor didn't think he was going into shock, but wanted to keep him overnight for observation. Don sat in the chair beside his brother's bed as Charlie squirmed back and forth.

"Would you sit still?" Don asked with a chuckle as he leaned forward. He tried to make eye contact with his brother, but Charlie just kept moving from one side to the other.

"I can't."

"You need to. You're going to hurt your leg, Buddy. Just lay down. Get some sleep."

Charlie did pause in his stirring, but because of the absurdity of Don's words. He turned to face brother, and looked at Don with frightened eyes.

"Sleep? You think I can sleep? How am I supposed to sleep when that man is in the same building as me? For all I know, he could be across the hall, or in the next room. I can't sleep, when I know if he gets the chance, he'll come back to finish the job. He's still alive, Don. I can't just sleep peacefully knowing that."

Don swallowed hard, forcing the lump in his throat away. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He felt uncomfortable under his little brother's gaze, as though Charlie expected him to have the answers.

"You... you can sleep, Buddy. I'm going to be here. I won't leave you. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

Charlie closed his eyes tightly. He gripped the thin sheet covering him, holding it in his fists. Despite his closed lids, a tear slid down his face, falling off his chin. Don dried the wet trail with his hand, causing Charlie's eyes to open.

"It's okay, Buddy. You're safe with me."

Charlie gave his brother a weak smile. He reached out and grabbed his brother's hand. Don squeezed reassuringly, smiling at his brother. Charlie breathed deeply, then closed his eyes, to finally get some sleep.

A soft knock on the door was enough to jar Charlie. Don looked up to see Colby standing in the doorway.

"Hey, guys. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"We're good," Don answered, stealing a glance at Charlie.

Colby smiled. "That's good. You going to be okay, man?" He directed his question to Charlie.

"I'm all right. Thanks." Charlie forced a smile for the agent.

"Don, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Charlie's panic-filled eyes were enough answer for Don.

"If you have something to say, you can say it in front of Charlie."

Colby shifted nervously. "Considering Cartman's past crimes, Megan sent a team to Cartman's house. We found a body."

Charlie's eyes grew large, filled with fear. He grabbed his brother's arm. "Don!"

"Sh, it's okay." Don turned for a moment to calm his brother. He kept his grip on Charlie's arm. "Male or female?"

"Female. She's still unidentified, but judging by the way she looks..."

"It's Jessica, isn't it? It's his daughter." Charlie's heart skipped a beat. Colby and Don both looked at Charlie.

"Oh, God," Charlie breathed. Feeling sick, he doubled over, holding his knees as he took on the fetal position. Each breath was loud and shaky.

Sensing his brother's impending panic attack, Don got up from his chair. Stepping in front of his brother on the bed, he grasped Charlie's face in his hands.

"Charlie, listen to me. Listen to me! This was not your fault, okay? We don't know that it's Jessica. Just calm down."

Haggard breathing came from Charlie as he looked up at his brother, terror written all over his face. He had failed Jessica. He didn't save her. It was all his fault!

As Don still held his face, Charlie gripped his brother's wrists. Staring into Don's eyes, Charlie spoke.

"It's Jessica. I failed her." Looking off to the side, Charlie remembered something. He let go of his brother's wrists and slipped out of Don's grasp for a moment. If it was Jessica, Russ would be a murderer. He'd go to prison for years. But now, he was still here. Still in the same hospital as him. Russ would never get another chance to kill him if he didn't do it tonight.

Charlie grabbed a handful of his brother's shirt. "Don, he's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!"

Don framed his brother's face with his hands and brought their faces close together. He touched Charlie's forehead with his as he locked gazes with his brother. "You're not going to die, do you hear me? I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Seeing the fear was still in his brother's eyes, Don let go of Charlie's face and brought his little brother into a tight embrace. Charlie reacted desperately as he clung to his brother with all the strength he had.

Awkwardly, Colby left the room, leaving the brothers to be alone. His heart hurt for Charlie. After seeing that, Colby decided he would stay at the hospital until Charlie went home. He wasn't going to risk Charlie being right.

Alan exited the elevator and looked around for a familiar face. Finding Colby, he ran to the young agent.

"Colby! Where's Charlie? Where's Don?" he asked frantically.

"They're in that room over there," Colby answered calmly, pointing out the room.

"Thank you!"

Alan nearly jogged to the room. When he came in, he found his sons hugging. Charlie's death grip on his older brother appeared to be painful to Don, but no complaints were heard. Don stiffly turned his head to see his father.

"Dad. What are you doing here? I thought you were in San Francisco on a consulting gig."

"And you think that's more important than family?" Alan stepped closer to his sons. Charlie's face was buried in his brother's shoulder when Alan patted him on the back.

"Charlie? Let go of your brother."

Charlie shook his head, refusing. Don turned his face toward his brother, and whispered in his ear.

"I'm not going anywhere, Buddy. You can let go."

Charlie pushed back so he could see Don's face. When his brother gave him a reassuring smile, Charlie was able to let go.

"What happened, kiddo?" Alan asked as he brushed Charlie's hair back with his hand.

Charlie looked at Don, his eyes pleading.

"Dad, can we talk outside for a second?" Don suggested, standing up. Seeing Charlie's fearful look, Don leaned down toward his brother.

"I'll be right outside the door, I promise."

Charlie nodded. He would be okay.

Don squeezed Charlie's hand briefly before he went outside to talk to his father.

"So? What's going on?"

Don sighed. "Dad, Charlie got shot."

"What?" Alan exclaimed.

"It's just a graze, he's fine. You saw him. But Russ Cartman tried to kill him."

"Oh my." Alan covered his mouth with his hand.

"There was a standoff, where Russ held Charlie at gunpoint. He ended up surrendering, but at the last second, he shot himself. He lived, but he's going to be facing some serious jail time. Plus, we found a body at his house."

"A body?"

Don looked off to the side and then back at his father. He licked his lips nervously. "We think it might be Jessica."

"No!" Alan leaned against the wall for support. That would kill Charlie.

"Dad, Charlie is terrified. He thinks Russ is going to try to kill him again, and that Jessica's death is all his fault. I need some time with him tonight, okay? It might not be safe for you to be here. So, please, go home. I know you want to be here, but I can handle this."

Alan looked at his oldest son suspiciously. He smiled and shook his head. Don was as stubborn as his mother. He gave a small chuckle.

"Okay, Donny. You take care of this."

"Thank you."

Alan put an arm across Don's shoulders and squeezed before walking back into Charlie's room. Charlie was waiting patiently for their return.

"I'm going to head home, kiddo. Okay? I'll be back in the morning to help Don bring you home."

"Okay." Charlie forced a smile for his father. Alan leaned down and hugged his son, then stood and left.

After a long period of silence, Charlie turned to Don.

"What did you say to him?"

"Excuse me?"

"To Dad. What did you say to him? You know he doesn't leave that easily."

Don smiled. "I told him I'd take care of things."

"That's it?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, still looking suspicious.

"That's it. Now, you need to get some sleep."

"What about you?" Charlie asked as he pulled the covers up to his chin.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay up tonight, and sleep the day away when we get you home. Okay?"

Charlie looked guilty. He didn't want to force his brother to stay awake all night, but it did make him feel better. "Thanks."

Don smiled. "No problem. Get some sleep, Buddy."

Charlie smiled as he closed his eyes. He put his trust in his older brother. If there was anyone to protect him, it'd be Don.

**Well, well, well. It's going to be longer than two chapters! LOL I wasn't planning that, but now with the body, I need to expand some more. So, I'll see you soon!**


	3. Family

Around 3:30, Don started to doze off. He kept having to shake himself to keep from falling asleep. He told himself that he could sleep if he really needed to, but he had promised Charlie he'd stay awake. Even if nothing happened, Don would rather keep his promise than sleep and Charlie find out.

So, keeping his promise, Don stayed awake. He flipped through a magazine on the small nightstand beside Charlie's bed. He read it until he had basically memorized it, and it did nothing to keep him awake.

At 4:00, Don got up to use the bathroom. Charlie had his own connected to his room, so Don considered that safe enough.

However, it wasn't.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came over the speaker.

"Code purple. There is a patient who may be a threat to themselves or others on the loose. I repeat, code purple."

Don rushed to the bathroom door, but at the same time, it was closed and locked in his face. He heard Charlie scream, and he kicked the door, but it didn't move.

"Damn it!" Don screamed.

Russ locked the doors to Charlie's room. He wouldn't need long to finish the job. The locks should buy him enough time.

Charlie cowered on the bed. Searching some form of a weapon, he found none.

"Don!" Charlie screamed, only to hear his brother's voice from the bathroom. Realizing Russ had locked him in, Charlie's heart rate rose.

"Come here, Charlie. Let's get this over with," Russ said tauntingly as he circled Charlie.

"No!"

Russ lunged at Charlie. Charlie reacted with a punch to Russ' chest, where he'd been shot. Russ cried out in pain, giving Charlie time to move to the bathroom door. Just as he reached the lock, Russ pulled him from behind.

Charlie tried to fight, but Russ was bigger and stronger. He pinned Charlie's arms above his head, forcing him still. With the other hand, he forced a pillow against Charlie's face.

"Never met a promise I couldn't keep!" Russ laughed as he smothered Charlie.

Suddenly two shots were heard, then after a brief pause, a third. Russ went limp against Charlie, falling across his body heavily.

Don stood above them, his gun still drawn. He had shot the door to get out, and then shot Russ when he saw him smothering his brother. Now he rushed to get Russ off of Charlie.

"Charlie? Buddy, can you hear me?" Don asked as he lifted Russ off of his brother's body. Charlie reacted by sucking in a large gulp of air and coughing.

Don closed his eyes and sighed, relieved. He had been afraid he was too late.

Charlie scrambled away from Russ and into the corner of the room. Don watched him worriedly.

Folding his knees up to his chest, Charlie's hands shook. Forcing them to stop, he balled his hands into fists. Pressing his fisted hands to his mouth, he stared at the floor in front of him as his body convulsed. Tears spilled silently down his face as he looked at Russ' body.

"Is he dead?" Charlie asked, finally looking up at his brother.

Don nodded. "Yeah, Buddy. He's dead."

Sucking in a shaky breath, Charlie's lower lip quivered. "He's dead."

On the floor, Charlie doubled over. Breathing seemed harder than usual and he choked.

Don quickly moved to his brother. Holding Charlie by the shoulders, he kept his brother from toppling over. Charlie's breathing turned into choked sobs, and Don wrapped his arms around his brother, helping Charlie through the hysteria of almost being killed.

"Sh. He's not going to hurt you anymore, Buddy. You're okay."

Two security guards of the hospital opened the door after using a key. Seeing Russ lying limply on the ground, they looked to Don for an explanation. One reached for his gun, but Don took out his badge.

"He tried to kill my brother. I'm an FBI agent."

The two nodded and used their walkie-talkies to explain the situation.

Charlie's shaking failed to cease. Don held his brother tightly, trying to give Charlie at least the feeling that he was safe and protected.

"I'm so sorry, Buddy. I'm sorry," Don whispered in his brother's ear.

Don's eyes watered over when he thought about what could have happened, all because he was just going to the bathroom. He had promised his brother nothing would happen, and that he would stay with him all night. But he hadn't kept his promise, and Charlie's life could have ended because of it.

Charlie whimpered and leaned his forehead against the side of Don's neck. Don kept his arms tightly around his brother.

"Come on. Let's get you back to bed, okay?"

Clinging tightly to Don, Charlie walked the short way to his hospital bed. Once he was in the bed, he let go of Don for a moment to cover himself with the thin blanket. Clutching the blanket under his chin, his haunted eyes bore holes in Don's heart.

When a few people came to take away Russ' body, Charlie kept his eyes tightly closed as he held Don's hand in a white-knuckle grip. Don glared as the man he'd killed was taken away. He hated killing people. It never felt right to him. But now, he could honestly say he didn't regret it. If he hadn't, his brother likely would have been killed. Maybe not today, but Russ would have found a way to kill Charlie.

Don squeezed his brother's hand. "He's gone now, Buddy. He's never going to hurt you again."

Charlie nodded, eyes still closed.

Charlie let go of his brother's hand and just clutched the pillows in his fists. Keeping himself well covered, Charlie fought to get back to sleep.

Don stood, needing to stretch. Eyes opening wide, Charlie shot up in bed and reached out for Don's arm.

"Don't leave!"

Don turned, seeing his frightened brother latched onto his arm. Slowly Don sat back down.

"I'm not going anywhere. It's okay."

Charlie turned on his back and closed his eyes, miserable. Tears slowly spilled out from under his closed lids.

"Damn it," Charlie muttered to himself, reaching up to swipe at the tears.

Don reached out and took his brother's hand again. Charlie turned his head and looked at his brother.

"I'm sorry I'm such a baby."

Don shook his head. "No. No, Buddy. Someone tried to kill you twice in twelve hours. That's a lot to deal with. You're not being a baby. You're being human. I don't expect you to react to this with a smile on your face. Buddy, it was scary. Hell, I was scared to death. I could have lost you today. The thought of that scares the hell out of me. I need you, Buddy, more than I may have realized."

Charlie gave his brother a small smile. Don smiled in return. Charlie settled back into the covers, and, somehow, managed to fall asleep again.

Guilty for having left earlier, Don stayed by his brother's side, even when it was uncomfortable for him. His big brother side shone through as he kept a protective hand on his brother all night. Every nurse who came in and every doctor who stopped by got a critical eye from Don. Ever prepared, Don was ready to pounce if he needed to.

Later that morning, Alan showed up to help Don take Charlie home. Charlie was changed and ready to go when Colby and Megan walked into his hospital room.

"Hi, guys. How are you, Charlie?" Megan asked with a gentle smile.

"I'm okay." Charlie smiled, but as something dawned on him, his smile vanished and he paled.

"You're here about Jessica aren't you?" he asked, reaching for his big brother's arm.

Don kept an arm around Charlie. "Have you identified the body?"

"Yes. That's why we're here," Colby answered and gave a look to Megan. There was a pause and Charlie looked between the two agents, desperate for an answer.

"Tell me!" Charlie finally begged.

Megan stepped forward. "It's not Jessica, Charlie."

Relieved, Charlie sank backwards into the bed once more. Don kept his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Who was it then?" Don asked.

"Her name is Grace Lewis. We're actually here for something else, too." Colby smiled at Megan, knowing she'd be better at telling Charlie.

Megan walked up to Charlie's bed and sat beside him. She smiled and reached out to take Charlie's hand.

"Charlie, last night, after Russ was killed, we needed to contact the next of kin. Jessica is Russ' closest living relative."

"Living?" Charlie asked with a short laugh. His eyes glazed with tears as he looked between Megan and Colby. Colby smiled and nodded at Charlie.

"Yes, living. She's flying in this afternoon."

"Here?" Charlie asked, surprised.

Megan laughed. "Yes, here... Charlie, we told her about you. She wants to see you."

Charlie's eyes widened and he smiled. "I... I can't believe she remembers me." As he thought about it, he got less excited. His smile faded into a scared frown.

"I... I can't see her. I'm sorry."

Megan frowned. "Why?"

"I... I'm pretty tired. I don't want to see anyone today. I just want to go home." Charlie looked up at his older brother, silently pleading him to get him out of the conversation.

"Okay, guys. Keep us updated. We need to head home now." Don nodded to his brother, confirming he understood.

"All right. Let me know if you change your mind, Charlie. Jessica really wanted to see you."

Charlie just looked down at the floor, not responding.

"Take it easy, Whiz Kid," Colby said, patting Charlie on the shoulder. He then walked out the door behind Megan.

Alan walked back into the room after getting Charlie's discharge papers filled. "Are you boys ready?"

Don looked at Charlie, who nodded. "Yeah, Dad. We're ready."

Don helped Charlie to the car, because he still felt he needed to protect his brother, and because Charlie still favored his grazed leg. Don sat in the back seat beside his brother while Alan drove them home to Pasadena.

Once home, Don helped Charlie to his room. When Charlie was safely in bed, Don left the room, only to linger outside the closed door.

Alan came upstairs to make sure Charlie was settled, when he saw Don leaning against the wall outside Charlie's room.

"Donny?" Alan asked as he stepped in front of his oldest son.

"Yeah, Dad?" Don asked, looking up at his father.

Alan took in his son's haggard look. The dark circles under Don's eyes and his bloodshot eyes told Alan that his son hadn't slept the night before. He needed his rest.

"Donny, go to bed. You're dead on your feet."

Don bit his lower lip as tears filled his eyes. He shook his head. "I can't... I-I can't leave him."

Alan was surprised to see tears in his son's eyes. Don was not one to show many emotions, let alone tears. Considering what Don said, Alan wondered about what had happened last night. He knew about Russ' last attempt at Charlie's life, and how Don had shot him. It was the rest of the story that made Alan wonder.

"Donny, your brother is fine. Please, go to bed."

Don closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. "I can't leave him. The last time I left..."

"What? What happened, Don?"

Don made eye contact with his father again. "I failed him. I... I just went to the bathroom, and then the door was locked. Charlie... he was scared and crying out for me. I was supposed to protect him. I promised him I would. And then I broke my promise, and he almost got killed."

A single tear spilled from Don's eyes. He bent his head forward, ashamed.

Alan reached out both of his hands and framed his son's face. He tilted Don's head up so that his son would look at him.

"Donny, that was not your fault. Understand? You couldn't help it that Russ wanted to kill Charlie. He was determined, Don. Even if you'd been sitting right next to your brother, Russ would have tried to kill him."

"But then I would have stopped him. I-I-I would have-"

"Stop it. Don't do that to yourself. You did what you needed to. You stopped Russ. You saved your brother's life. That's all that matters. Your brother is safe. He's alive. And he will stay that way if you go to bed."

"You'll keep an eye on him?" Don asked with more vulnerability in his eyes than Alan had ever seen.

Alan smiled tenderly. "He'll be fine. Go get some sleep, my boy."

Don thought for a minute, then finally nodded. Alan led him to his bed. Still fully clothed, including his shoes, Don got in the bed. His eyes closed before he could even cover himself. Alan took the comforter and laid it over his son. He reached under the cover and pulled off Don's shoes and set them beside the bed. Smiling, he walked to the head of the bed, and brushed his hand across his son's hair.

"Sleep well, Donny."

----------------------------------

After Don had gotten a good four hours of sleep, he wanted to check on his brother. Leaving his room, he crossed the hall and knocked on his brother's door. Opening it a crack, he peered inside to see if he could come in.

"Come on in," Charlie called softly, sitting up in bed.

Don opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him, and walked up to his brother's bed. He sat down, and smiled at his brother.

"Hey, Buddy. How are you feeling?"

Charlie looked down at his hand for a moment, then looked up at his brother and nodded. "I'm okay."

"That's good."

Charlie nodded in agreement. Don angled his head so he could see his brother's face. He wondered what was wrong, and wondered if it had something to do with Jessica.

"I guess Jessica should be in town around now."

Again, Charlie's response was in the form of a nod.

"You sure you don't want to see her?"

Charlie managed to at least look up at Don before he nodded again.

"Why don't you want to see Jessica, Buddy?" Don asked after a short pause.

Charlie turned his head away from his brother, so Don couldn't see. "I just don't want to, okay?"

Don shook his head, not buying it for a second. "Come on, Charlie. You can talk to me."

Charlie wrung his hands nervously. Realizing that he was showing his distress, he balled his hands into fists, gripping the blanket in front of him.

"Charlie?"

Charlie shook his head. It shouldn't matter, but to Don, it did. So what if he told him?

"I failed her."

Don frowned. "What?"

"I failed her! All those years ago, I never said a word about it. Then I meet her father again and he tries to kill me. You killed him. You stopped him, Don. I didn't. I was just a victim. I... I could never be her hero. And facing her... facing her would just be too much."

Don got up and circled the bed, coming over to Charlie's side. He knelt on the floor in front of his brother and looked up into Charlie's eyes. He reached out and took his brother's fisted hands.

"No, Buddy. You never failed her. Jessica is alive. She's okay. You didn't have to say anything. She survived. I have a feeling she wants to see you more than you know. And not because she's mad or wants to yell at you. It's because you cared about her years ago, because no one else gave a damn about her but you. You helped her survive because she had someone who loved her."

Charlie looked nervously off to the side, then back at Don. "You really think so?"

Don smiled. "I know so."

Charlie sniffed, then stared for a moment out the window. Then he turned back to his older brother.

"All right. I want to see her."

**Sorry about the delay. School started last week, which doesn't help. OMG! Did you guys watch last Friday's episode? BEST EPISODE EVER! It reminded of a fanfic story! Except Don and Charlie STILL haven't hugged. Makes me mad. Anyway, the last chapter will mostly just be Charlie's reunion with Jessica. There might be a little brother moment ending or something, but the main part of the chapter will be about Charlie and Jessica. It probably won't be that long. It's just a last scene to wrap things up. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Freedom

**Warning: The storyline of Jessica and her father may be disturbing.**

Charlie stepped out of the elevator with his brother by his side. He first saw Megan, who smiled kindly as he passed her. She nodded toward the conference room she was standing across from her. Silently, Charlie looked around her to look for Jessica. He couldn't see her from where he stood, and he turned to his older brother.

"I can't do this. What, what if she doesn't want to see me? What if she'll blame me?"

Don smiled, knowing his brother was scared. He put a hand on each of his brother's shoulders. "She wants to see you, Buddy. Go see her. I'll be right out here."

Charlie gulped and slowly turned again to face the conference room. Taking a step forward, he headed to the conference room door. He slowly opened it, and, looking inside as the door opened, he saw Jessica Cartman.

When he walked in the door, Jessica lifted her head. Charlie would have recognized her anywhere. Her blonde hair had faded a little, and now was worn straight and stylish. Her eyes seemed tired, but were still the bright shade of blue that Charlie remembered. She had aged well.

"Um, hi," Charlie said nervously, his voice shaky. He stepped forward, coming up to the table she sat at.

"Hi, Charlie." Jessica smiled for the first time since Charlie had entered the room, and her whole face looked brighter. She stood and came to the front of the table, in front of Charlie.

For an awkward moment, they just looked at each other. Charlie was about to speak when Jessica suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. Unsure of how to react, it took Charlie a moment before he hugged her back.

With tears spilling down her eyes, Jessica pressed her face into Charlie's shoulder. "Thank you, Charlie. Thank you."

Charlie tightened his hold on her. With tears in his own eyes, he spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Jessica."

Jessica pushed back and managed a smile. "Don't be. Please."

Jessica moved back to her seat and sat down. Unsure of what to do next, Charlie sat in the seat across from her.

"Charlie, you have nothing to be sorry for, understand? I... I've been running from that man for years. When I was younger, back when I knew you..."

Her emotions getting the best of her, Jessica had to wipe a few tears from her eyes. "He hurt me. A lot. He'd say he was sorry and buy me nice things, act like he was truly sorry. But then he'd just do it again. At first I believed he was sorry, so I accepted the gifts. But then I started to see right through him. He was doing it on purpose. If he was really sorry, why didn't he stop? He never did. After we moved away, he stopped for a while. I think he was just trying to make a good impression on the neighbors, since I acted better once he stopped. But after we'd been living there for a month or so, he started up again. With every time, he got more and more violent."

Jessica paused a moment, trying to hold her emotions back. "When I was fourteen, he... he did something different. I didn't know what he was doing at first, and when I did, I fought. He just kept hitting me, though. I couldn't stop him. After he... well, I ran away from home."

Charlie's heart went out to her. He reached out and gently took her hand. She smiled briefly, appreciative of the gesture.

"I'd been gone two days when he found me. He gave me the worst beating of my life. Broke four of my ribs and my right arm. I didn't run away again until I was 16. By then I'd learned how to drive through school, and I had saved enough money to get away. He didn't find me again. I went home when I was 20. I wanted to see he'd changed, that he was a better person, someone I could love again. But he hadn't changed a bit. I didn't stay long. I couldn't, not when I knew what he could do. He told me that if he ever found me, he'd kill me. I couldn't help but believe him. So I moved away. I went to college in Massachusetts. I worked through school, got my bachelor's degree in education. I've been teaching high school social studies for the past five years."

Charlie smiled. "You're happy?"

Jessica nodded, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Yeah, I'm happy. I'm married to a wonderful man named Tom. He's been so understanding about all of this."

Charlie nodded. "That's good. I'm happy for you."

Jessica stretched both her hands out on the table. Charlie took both of her hands in his.

"Charlie, I am so sorry this happened. If I had any idea that my father would do this, I would have turned him in years ago."

"Why didn't you?"

Jessica's eyes got wide. "I was scared of him. Terrified, actually. If I told the police and they didn't believe me, he'd kill me for sure. My father was an ugly man. He always wanted his way. Alcohol helped make him mean, but he was already like that on his own. He was definitely one to hold a grudge. He never let things go easily. He would get back at me."

Charlie let go of her hands and looked down at the floor. Guilt for his part began to surface once again.

"Charlie? What is it?"

His eyes wet with tears, Charlie looked up at Jessica again. "I'm sorry I didn't save you. I... I always saw you. I knew you wanted me to help, knew you needed it. But I never said anything. I could have stopped him years ago. But I never did. I'm so sorry, Jessica."

Jessica shook her head. "No, Charlie. Don't be sorry, please. I never would have asked you to do something like that. I knew how dangerous my father was. I wouldn't have put you in danger by asking you to do that. You have nothing to be sorry for. We were both kids at the time. I never, ever blamed you."

Jessica shook her head and covered her face. She had a small smile on her face when she put her hands down. "Truth is, I thought about you a lot after we moved. I kept thinking, 'Charlie was the one boy who was nice to me all my life.' And I knew not all men were bad. If it hadn't been for you, I probably would never be able to trust a man. Then I wouldn't be married to Tom, and I wouldn't have gotten this far in life. I needed you, Charlie. Without you, I may have never made it. You saved me, whether you knew it or not."

Charlie managed a sad smile for Jessica. Together, they stood and met each other in an embrace once more.

"Thank you. Thank you," Charlie whispered into her ear.

Jessica smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around Charlie. "No. Thank you, Charlie. Thank you... my hero."

-------------------------------------

Don and Megan stood outside the conference room and watched the reunion. When Charlie and Jessica headed for the door, Megan turned to Don.

"I think he'll be okay now."

Don frowned. "He wasn't before?"

Megan rolled her eyes. "You miss everything, don't you?"

Smiling, Megan turned and walked away. Jessica and Charlie exited the conference room and came up to Don.

"Jessica, you remember my brother Don. Don, this is Jessica Cartman."

"Pleasure to meet you, Jessica."

Jessica smiled shyly a moment. "You killed him, didn't you?"

Don paled.

"I'm sorry for phrasing it so poorly. It's just... it was you, wasn't it?"

Don gulped. "Yes. Yes, it was me."

Surprising Don, Jessica threw her arms around Don's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Don."

Don awkwardly returned the hug. It was a strange experience. Rarely had he been thanked for killing someone. Judging by Jessica's story, he could understand her gratitude, though.

"If you don't mind, I have some more business to attend to regarding my father's death. Thank you both, though. If you ever need anything, please, don't hesitate to ask."

Charlie smiled and hugged Jessica one last time. "Bye, Jess."

"Bye, Chuck." Jessica smiled over the usage of their old nicknames for each other.

Don and Charlie watched Jessica leave. As Jessica entered the elevator, Don turned to his brother. Charlie stood with a content smile on his face.

"How come you don't like it when I call you Chuck, but it's okay when she does?"

Charlie's smile disappeared. "No reason."

Don's teasing nature came to a halt as Charlie walked past his brother.

"Hey, Buddy, I was just teasing."

Charlie kept walking, even when Don chased after him. His heartbeat seemed loud in his ears as the room spun in and out of focus. Reaching his hands out, he pushed the door to the bathroom open. Colby was reaching for the door on the other side as Charlie heavily came inside. Seeing the younger man's lethargic movements, Colby reached out and caught Charlie as he lunged forward.

"Charlie!" Don shouted from behind him. All he saw was his brother pitch forward into the men's bathroom. As he opened the door, he found Colby lowering himself and Charlie to the floor.

Charlie pushed out of Colby's arms and moved on his hands and knees to the opposite side of the bathroom. Huddled beside the sinks, Charlie trembled as his mouth went dry.

"Buddy, what's wrong?" Don moved closer to his brother. Charlie closed his eyes tightly, as though expecting Don to hurt him.

"He's having a panic attack," Colby put in as Charlie pressed the side of his head against the sink.

"How do you know?" Don asked, stealing a quick glance at Colby.

"Because I've had them before... Hold him."

"That'll stop it?"

"No. It'll still have to run its course, but it made me feel a hell of a lot better when I had them."

Don slid over to his brother. Charlie's eyes were wide and his mouth was wide open. He felt like he was choking, and it was scaring him.

Don reached out and brought his brother tightly against him. Charlie threw his arms around his brother and clung tightly to him. Burying his face in his brother's neck, Charlie clutched to Don's shirt.

Charlie took loud, uneven breaths. Don held him tighter, trying to give his brother the feeling of being safe.

"Sh, Buddy. You're okay. Sh," Don soothed as Charlie jolted them both with his shaking.

Don looked over to Colby for reassurance that this was normal. Understanding what Don was thinking, Colby nodded.

Charlie's breathing calmed as he forced himself to breathe normally. As each shudder passed, Charlie managed to calm after the panic attack. Slowly he pushed out of his brother's arms. Embarrassed, he realized Don and Colby were both watching him closely.

"Buddy?"

Charlie closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "I'm okay."

Don stood and held his hand out for his brother to take. After a moment, Charlie took his brother's hand and let Don pull him to his feet. Colby stood and stepped closer to Charlie.

"Are you okay, man?"

Charlie nodded and gave him a weak smile. "Yeah."

Colby smiled gently. "If you need to talk or anything-"

"I know. Thanks."

Charlie gripped his brother's arm. "I want to go home."

Don nodded. "Okay, Buddy. We'll go home."

Don kept a hand on his brother's back as they walked to his car. After guiding Charlie into the car, Don went to his seat and pulled out of the FBI parking garage.

Charlie stayed quiet during the ride home. Embarrassed by his sudden panic attack, he kept his head hung low and his eyes off his older brother. Don left Charlie to his silence.

When they reached home, Charlie slowly exited the car and went inside. He sat down on his bed, waiting for Don to come in. He knew his brother would check on him, and want to talk about the attack. Trying to make sense of it himself, Charlie sat against his pillows and waited.

Don had just gotten done explaining to Alan what had happened when he went upstairs to his brother's room. He knocked gently before entering.

"Hey, Buddy," Don said softly as he walked into Charlie's room.

"Hey," Charlie replied, smiling shyly.

Don sat down on the edge of Charlie's bed before he asked the question weighing on his mind.

"Buddy... what was that all about?"

Charlie wrung his hands nervously. "I'm not really sure." He managed to look up into his brother's eyes for a moment before looking back down at his hands.

Don watched Charlie carefully for a moment. "Come on, Charlie. You know what this is about."

Charlie hand trembled as he looked down at it. Don followed his brother's eyes and reached out and grasped Charlie's trembling hand. With a pause of hesitation, Charlie looked up into Don's eyes, and found it was safe to talk to him.

"Jessica's dad used to call me Chuck, too. It was just one of those things that parents do after hearing their child talk about someone for so long. You know? I knew Jessica didn't like it, so she tried to just call me Charlie around her dad, but he still called me Chuck, or Chucky. I only liked it when Jessica called me that. One time... Mr. Cartman called home to tell me that Jessica couldn't come over that day, because she was sick. I wanted to make her feel better, so I took some of the flowers from Mom's garden and went over to give them to her. When I got there, Jessica saw me through her window. She called out to me, but I didn't hear her in time. She was trying to warn me. She had said, 'Chuck, get away from here.' Her father came to the door and pulled me inside... He threw me against the corner of a wall, knocked the air out of me. Jessica ran downstairs. Her nose was bloody and bruised. She tried to keep her father off me, but he shoved her. I hated seeing it, so I stood between Jessica and her father."

Don's blood ran hot. He could not believe the bastard who had done such things to his brother had gotten off so easily with death. He deserved worse.

"He told me, 'Chuck, you'd best get out of the way.' When I didn't, he gave me a black eye. I was so stunned by the blow that I stayed on the floor for a long time. Jessica kept screaming, 'Chuck, Chuck, Chuck!' When I finally got up, Mr. Cartman grabbed me by the shirt and carried me to his backyard. He threw me like I weighed nothing. I hit my head on their deck out back. He told me to get lost or I'd be sorry. Jessica told me to leave, too, so I did. When I got home, I told Mom that I got in a fight with Jimmy Phelps."

Don nodded. "I remember. I gave him a broken nose when I found out."

Charlie smiled. "I felt bad about that. Jimmy didn't do anything."

"Is that why you don't like me to call you Chuck?" Don asked after a long period of silence.

"Mostly. At first I didn't because Jessica was the one who first called me that."

Don chuckled. "What? I've always called you Chuck. I came up with that nickname. I called you that from day one."

Standing in the doorway to Charlie's room, Alan cleared his throat. When his sons noticed him, Alan stepped inside the room.

"Actually, Don, you gave your brother another name."

"Oh?" Don looked at Charlie a second, then turned back to his father. "What name did I give him?"

Alan smiled. "The first time you saw Charlie, you said, 'That's my buddy.' After that, you called him Buddy all the time. Your mother and I couldn't get you to call him Charlie for years. When you finally did, Buddy seemed to disappear, except for on a few special occasions."

Charlie smiled. He could understand that. Don didn't call him Buddy often. It was a name that usually came up when he was upset or something. It made him happy to know his brother had always thought of him as his Buddy.

Don turned back to Charlie and smiled. "Okay, Buddy. You want to go downstairs and watch the game with me?"

Charlie smiled. "I'd like that, Donny."

Alan grinned as he watched his sons leave together. Don kept a protective arm across his buddy's shoulders. Charlie had been through a lot with Russ Cartman, but with his big brother at his side, he would recover quickly.

**Aw, the end! I hate ending stories. They should go on forever! LOL I hope you enjoyed this latest story. My next will probably be based on the episode Breaking Point, when Charlie got shot at. I hope to see you then! Take care!**


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